75: RELATIVELY CHALLENGED (Sent in error as Leo New Moon)
Tues 2nd July 20.16 - Mooning Monthly Edition 75 reappraising the relatives.....
Ah sweet Mooners, it's good to be amongst your number once again.
We herald the new moon in Leo this coming Tuesday suppertime. If the summer temperatures are still at their climate emergency highs (currently sweltering here in northern Europe) may we suggest serving a green leaf salad mixed with freshly grated carrot and beetroot (optional Parmagiano); roasted pumpkin and sunflower seeds toasted in an open pan with a dash of soy sauce, thrown together with bit of oil and vinegar and consumed alongside a cold beer. Summer Mooning manna dear ones.
This Leo New Moon promises to be a warm hearted but headstrong episode. Leo (the lion) tends to strongly identify with its pride, capable of fiercely defending the group should it be threatened, inferring that the next week or so is likely to be a family affair but not without its challenges. This new moon links heavily with our ancestors - both bloodline and wider afield. We are, of course, reliant upon familial and cultural lineage for our very existence. It seems remarkable to us at Mooning HQ that, despite the importance of our forebears' role in our current circumstances, we rarely know much about them prior to our Grandparents' generation. And why would we? Most of them died long before we had a chance to meet them. And, through the gross inconvenience of death, conventional modern thinking suggests we are deprived then of ever getting to know them.
Ancient wisdom traditions weave a different narrative. They uniformly suggest that death is merely the transformation of matter into different forms. They concur that the eternal nature of consciousness - that which animates matter - does not transform in death, merely transitions elsewhere in the world of form. In effect, these ancient teachings identify the thought of death as an end to life, as an illusory misconception. Life's eternal cosmic evolution continues on its intelligent, expansive trajectory regardless of the impermanence of physical circumstance throughout the Universe.
This perennial wisdom, common to spiritual traditions across our precious planet, has variously termed the animating, intelligent breath of life as Holy Spirit (Christianity); Akasha (Paganism); Mana (Hawai'i); Kami (Shinto); Ruh (Islam); Ruach (Judaism); Roho (Swahili); Pneuma (Ancient Greece); Prana (Sanskrit); Apana (Buddism, Pali, Hinduism, Sanskrit, Jainism); Ch'i (Taoism); Manitou (Native American)...... the Force (Jedi) and many more. Some folk might call it Love: an omnipresent, energising principle that permeates the Universe. It is the pervading breath that animates and inherently connects us to everything else in our unified field of existence, binding us together as family.
Under this Leo New Moon a window of opportunity exists to explore this wider notion of family: the interconnected nature of everything. Let's start with our nearest family members, the bloodlines that share our genetic patterns. Over the next few days the rellies are likely to be pushing a few buttons regarding entitlement, expectations and inheritance in particular. We must tread lightly, if we engage at all, in these delicate areas of familial concern. The Leo lion will raise it's normally regal head in fiercely defensive counter attack if it feels the dynamics of the pride are potentially being wrestled from its control. None of us likes to feel the sovereignty of our decision making undermined by others or circumstances, and will often fight tooth and nail to avoid change. Tensions between parents and adult children might surface as aging mums and dads confront their mortality and vicarious personal expectations of their offspring. The knock on will likely be felt between siblings.
Go back a few hundred thousand years and contemporary paleoanthropologists claim the genetic roots of humanity emerge from the mothers of all mothers in Southern Africa (wiki link here). From the ancient spawn of tiny African tribes we have, in such a cosmically short period of time, bred to become the sprawling, dysfunctional modern family unit currently wreaking havoc on the surface of the great Mother, Gaia herself, from whose flesh we grew. These big mamas, blood heritage of the Divine Feminine, are our ultimate link to each other and the planet that birthed and sustains us. We have inherited such riches from Earth's unceasing benevolence but now seem solely intent on fighting over the gifts and squandering the lot like spoilt brats. These unseemly traits of behaviour may be heightened under the Leo New Moon. A timely re-evaluation of our own efforts to avoid being drawn into the bunfight for material gain at the expense of others, may bring its own reward.
There is an ancestral story to be uncovered, one that resides in our cell structure and deeper emotional development. Ancient wisdom traditions commonly maintain that individuals are not born into this world as a completely blank canvas. There is an ancestral record that is born with us and informs our lifetime. As adults, this story-line deserves some examination if it is not, by default, to negatively influence our behaviour and the course of our own life experience. The prejudices and mistakes of our forebears thankfully need not become our own. Should we choose, we can be the generation that collectively brings an end to war, poverty, famine, pollution, disease, abuse, injustice or inequities for all life on Earth. The planet could return quite swiftly to the natural state of abundant, regenerating equilibrium that it was intelligently designed to exemplify. Such choices would require a degree of self awareness and a committed intent to create our own realities in thought, word and deed for the benefit of All. It's a means to change the world for the better and a process we regularly refer to in these columns as Mooning.
Additionally, many venerable wisdom traditions maintain that our ancestors watch on and are available to help guide our decision making. Although no longer with us in form, their Spirit persists and is regularly honoured by the culture they helped create. Once culturally recognised and revered as an informed, integral aspect of the animating force of life, their earthly but unbound wisdom avails itself to those making decisions in the flesh. It's yet another conversation to be started and refined dear Mooners. After developing a vital, loving conversation with ourselves (Mooning Monthly 74 link here), our most pressing dialogue should perhaps be with the life bestowing world of Spirit. (Under close scrutiny the two conversations are inseparable).
At this Leo New Moon let's resolve to make a call on the ancestral hotline. Simply (and ironically) switch off our mobile devices for a few hours; find a quiet space to sit, or walk alone in nature and start a conversation with those that have prepared the way for this particular lifetime. An open, clear mind is recommended. Simply start the dialogue, see where it goes, then who and what appears for consideration. There may be long silences. Let's enjoy those but remain attentive for any words or feelings that might inform our actions in a beneficial manner. Strange as it may seem, our ancestors have an inherent, vested interest in our progress and happiness. Our purpose and joy is theirs (Spirit being the unifying breath in All) and, when asked, Spirit, in its inimitable fashion, will find ways of directing us toward our highest goals. Asking is key dear Mooners. Unless we set an intent to dial in and chat, it is rare for Spirit to impinge upon our freewill. Some well meaning geezer apparently once said, "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you."
Finally, through some timely socialising in the ancestral chat rooms of a Leo New Moon, we can tangibly realise that we are never alone. The forms we inhabit and experience may come and go, but the breath of Spirit that connects us to all things beyond impermanence can never be stifled. It is our essence and most likely our purpose over and above the distracting noise we make about our own self importance. It is what we are beyond who we are and an ever present source of inspiration. Breathe deep Mooners. It's fragrant, cool and refreshing. Bliss won't be far away.
It's a family affair It's a family affair It's a family affair It's a family affair
Sly and the Family Stone - 1971
With love 'til next time
